


I like it when I'm here

by majesticduxk



Series: NaNoWriMo 2020 [1]
Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Aged up characters, Bad Communication, Bruising, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Kise-centric, M/M, Sexual Assault, but Kise defends himself, crying!kise, hurt!Kise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:08:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27327835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/majesticduxk/pseuds/majesticduxk
Summary: Everyone is stressed - Kise gets that. And his work is the least important. He also gets that. And yes, he can be demanding and annoying,he gets that. But when an unexpected work trip comes up, even with everything unresolved, he has to go away. He misses them so much. Hopefully they miss him too.
Relationships: Aomine Daiki/Kagami Taiga/Kise Ryouta/Kuroko Tetsuya
Series: NaNoWriMo 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1995232
Comments: 16
Kudos: 95





	I like it when I'm here

**Author's Note:**

> There's an attempted sexual assault which Kise defends himself from
> 
> And so much lack of communication. I see too much of my tired self here.

“Are you sure we can’t change it, Sato-san? I said I was willing to do the first shoot, but this is so much more and-“

“I’m sorry, Kise-kun. But they asked for you specifically. It’s an important contract, and a valuable opportunity. I know you have been concerned about your time away from home…”

The manager let their words trail delicately off, and Kise sighed. It was an understatement, really. Work had been busier and busier, and in the past six months Kise was pretty sure he’d not had more than two nights in a row at home. He was tired. He missed his partners. And things were getting a little stressful. Another understatement – more than a little stressful. They were all incredibly tired and pissed off. Kise didn’t blame them. If Kuroko, or Kagami, or Aomine were away for days at a time, and then were too tired to do anything but sleep, he’d be annoyed too. 

Rubbing a hand across his forehead, Kise thought. It was more than annoyed. He was disconnected. He didn’t know what was going on for them, and when he tried to find out he got the cold shoulder. Which hurt, of course it hurt! But he only blamed them a little bit. Kise wasn’t around, and he wasn’t around enough to fix not being around. 

“How long is this trip?”

“Three weeks, and then-“

“And then nothing. If I do this three weeks, I want six weeks off afterwards.”

“Six weeks? I can’t do that, you-“

“ _I_ ,” Kise rudely interrupted, “have not had a break in well over 18 months. I’ve barely been at home in the past six. I miss my family, and they are my priority. Yes my job is important, but I have been doing nothing but work!”

There was silence on the other end. “Kise-kun, if you step back now-“

“You’re not listening to me, Sato-san.”

“If your… _partners_ ,” and yes, the word was sneered, “can’t understand how busy you are-“

“Sato-san, let me stop you there. I knew you had issues with the fact that I had multiple partners, but a – that is none of your business and b – it is irrelevant. _I_ want the break. I have been asking for a break, and if we can’t come to an agreement, I’ll quit.”

Once again, there was silence. 

“Very well. Do this shoot, and then we will discuss what happens after. A car will pick you up at four tomorrow morning. Do not be late.”

“Thanks Sat-“

It wasn’t that Kise wanted to say goodbye, but it was still a surprise to be talking to silence. Tapping a finger against his phone, Kise wondered if he should quit now? He couldn’t keep working with Sato-san. While his relationship was somewhat… unconventional, he refused to work with someone who was bigoted. How could he trust someone like that to have his best interests at heart? 

Ultimately though, he was committed for the next job, and then he’d talk it out with everyone. At the very least, he’d have six weeks off. And it was only going to be three-

Just then his phone pinged. 

“It seems it’s going to be five weeks away. Let’s go tell everyone.”

~o~

Kise hadn’t been lying when he said everyone was stressed and upset. Aomine’s training had gone up a notch. Actually, it amused Kise no end that Aomine had swapped basketball training for the much more intense and time-consuming police training. Kise was looking forward to when they both had a day off and Kise could get an eyeful of his man in uniform. That thought was quickly put aside – Aomine was beyond stressed, so Kise wasn’t teasing. No matter how much he wanted too. 

Kuroko and Kagami, while not as stressed as Aomine were still stressed. Kuroko’s final placement was about to start, and he was incredibly worried. Why, Kise had no idea. Kuroko was amazing! Organised, and kind, and all the children loved him! Kise was very proud of his Kuroko-sensei. And then Kagami was in training too. A fireman… it involved long days and hard work, and he was exhausted by the time he got home. 

When he thought about it, all his partners were essential – keeping us safe and looking after future generations. When he thought about it like that… Kise felt lacking. All he did was stand there and look pretty. No wonder they had been short with him recently. They were all busy doing important things, and he-

“Kise! Weren’t you meant to cook tonight?”

Shit! The phone call with Sato had taken much longer than he thought and – no. No time for excuses. Finding his feet, he ran to the door, where an exhausted looking Aomine stood. 

“I’m sorry, Aominecchi, something came up, but I can-“

“Ugh. Don’t even bother. Your never here anyway and when you are you don't do anything. I’ll order in. Just…” Aomine trailed off. Kise silently urged him to speak, but he just ended up shaking his head. “Just pull your fucking weight, Kise. Everyone has to pitch in.”

It felt unfair, Kise acknowledged to himself. He was never here! And then when he was, they were just angry. It was hard to argue though. He _was_ on cooking, and he hadn’t so-

“I’m sorry. Work things really did come up. There’s a Thai place that just opened up. I’ll order enough for everyone.”

“Yeah, whatever,” Aomine threw over his shoulder as he headed to the shower. 

Quickly, Kise texted the others.

 _sorry (ﾟдﾟ) sorry (ﾟдﾟ) work stuff happened. Didn’t cook but ordering Thai. You’ve got 8 minutes to put in requests then I’m just ordered a selection ((((´∀｀)＿旦～((((´∀｀)＿旦～_

There were no replies, so Kise just ordered a lot of everything. Aomine and Kagami still had huge appetites. While he was waiting, he set the table, putting out nice placemats, and matching bowls. He knew the others didn’t really care, but he loved it when things looked put together. It made him feel like they were _together_. Which was silly, as they _were_ together. Kise was just away so much they never got any time. A family dinner was just what the doctor ordered.

“Sucking up, Kise? Setting the table doesn’t change anything, you know.”

Aomine padded past him, opening the fridge and pulling out a beer. Wincing, Kise went up behind him, wrapping his arms around his waist in a hug, but he was shrugged off. Kise ignored how hurt that made him feel. 

“Not sucking up, Aominecchi. I just like it when the table looks nice. And since, as you say, I didn’t get it together to cook, we can still eat together-“

“I just need to chill, Kise. I’m gonna watch a game, and when the food gets here, I’ll keep watching.”

Oh. Oh. Kise wanted them all to eat together. He was going to be gone for five weeks, and it wasn’t too much to spend time with his partners, surely? Before he could explain this to Aomine the door opened, and an equally tired looking Kagami and Kuroko joined them. Kuroko looked pissed. 

“We have a food budget for a reason, Kise-kun. You can’t just be spending over because you can’t be bothered cooking.”

Ouch! Before he could defend himself, Kagami headed to the fridge, and pulled out a beer too. 

“I’m gonna have a shower, then watch the game. You in?”

“Uh, actually, I was hoping-“

Kise winced as Kagami shut the fridge door a little harder than required. 

“Kise. I just need a quiet night in. Please don’t do this.”

Kise didn’t need to come up with a reply, as Kagami walked out of the room. Turning to face Kuroko, Kise saw the unimpressed expression on his face. 

“Everyone is tired, Kise-kun. Try being a little less selfish?”

And Kuroko left the room too. 

Deflating for a moment, Kise closed his eyes. This was just a bump in the road. They were all stressed. That was fine. He felt like crying, but he couldn’t stay in the kitchen – everyone would think he was sulking. Instead, he made his way to their shared bedroom, and quickly packed for his trip. He wanted to be in and out before Kagami was finished in the bathroom. Even though they were right, he couldn’t deal with any more tonight. Packing was repetitive and soothing, and before Kagami was out of the shower, or the food was delivered, Kise had packed and stowed his luggage in the spare room. It was not long after that he went down to get the food. He may have taken a little longer than he needed to, thanking the delivery driver profusely, who just bowed and blushed. It was still the nicest interaction he’d had all day. 

Squaring his shoulders, and straightening his back, he re-entered the apartment. 

“Dinner’s here! Plates are already on the table!”

Though they complained, his tired boyfriends eventually wandered in. Kise was pleased to see he’d picked well and most of the food disappeared. Kuroko stopped on his way back out, a small frown on his face. 

“Kise-kun, is there enough-“

Kise cut it off. He wasn’t going to discuss food tonight. His stomach was in knots after the afternoon he'd had. “Plenty for me, Kurokocchi! But,” and he gave a small laugh, “there won’t be enough for seconds for those two. Hope everyone got enough.”

Kuroko’s frown didn’t lighten. “Are you coming in?”

Smiling a real smile, Kise shook his head. “I really want to sit at the table today. But you go and enjoy. I’ll just update the calendar.”

Uncertainly, Kuroko wavered in the doorway.

“Kurokocchi! I am fine! Go and enjoy the others, de-stress, debrief, fall asleep! I will talk to you-“

“Tomorrow.” Kuroko decided. “We will talk tomorrow.”

Kise’s face wavered slightly. No one was going to get up to see him off at four am. But he smiled anyway. “Whenever we catch up.”

~o~

They made it through one game, before they headed to bed. Kuroko stuck his head back in, asking if Kise was coming to bed, but he was in the middle of researching other agencies, and really didn’t want to break his roll. Waving him away, Kise blew a kiss. 

“Sleep well!”

When Kuroko finally walked off, Kise heaved a sigh. He _knew_ it was immature, and he knew it would come back to bite him in the butt, but he just couldn’t deal with it. They were tired. They’d forgotten he was leaving. It hurt, if he was being honest. But he also couldn’t blame them. Maybe he needed to work on speaking less, just saying important things, so people remembered. 

Or a new job. That might help too. Although everyone was stressed, Kise probably had the least reason. Ahhhhhhhhh. Life was nothing but first world problems! He really didn’t want to go to this shoot tomorrow. He really didn’t! But it was only five weeks. And everyone was so busy they probably wouldn't miss him. Still, before he forgot, he quickly wrote a note with his travel details and stuck it up on the fridge. 

An hour later he had a short list of new agents, and was ready to head to bed himself. He still showered first, choosing an extra 15 minutes of sleep in the morning. Still, he almost cried when he had to set the alarm for 3.30am. 

~o~

It was only a quiet noise, but Aomine found himself waking. What the hell was happening at – he looked across at the alarm clock. Giant red numbers told him it was 3.55am. What would have woken him? Silently leaving the bed, he did a quick walk through the apartment. The front door was locked, and nothing seemed out of place, but there was a slight feeling of anxiety that lodged in the pit of his stomach. Ignoring it, he went back to bed. He’d figure it out in the morning. 

~o~

Eight o’clock and the house was awake. 

If not awake, moving. Kuroko was seated at the dining table, adorable bed head sticking up everywhere. First Kagami then Aomine dropped kisses on that ridiculous hair. The only thing missing was Kise squealing about how cute his Kurokocchi was. Speaking of which-

“Where is Kise?”

Aomine looked around. Everyone else was in the kitchen, the shower wasn’t on, and Aomine had just come from the bedroom and he wasn’t in there. 

Kuroko blinked. “I said I wanted to talk to him this morning. This is annoying.”

“Oh yeah? Why’d you want to talk to him?”

Kuroko looked a little guilty. “I fear I have been quite unkind to Kise lately. It’s not on purpose. School is… a struggle. And this semester in particular is overwhelming. Yesterday I had a meeting with my placement supervisor and I didn’t leave feeling particularly happy, then I got home and Kise was just-“

“Loud and enthusiastic,” Aomine said drily. “Honestly, I was an ass to him when I got home too. He was telling me something, but I just wanted to go watch the game and not talk to anyone. Wander what he was trying to say? Oi, Taiga – I need milk for my coffee and I need it now.”

“Aomine-kun,” Kuroko softly scolded, only to be interrupted by Kagami’s loud groan. 

He was standing at the fridge, staring at Kise’s note. 

“Did anyone remember Kise was going away for work? _Again _?”__

__Kuroko and Aomine looked at each other._ _

__“To be honest, not really. That explains why he’s not here. Guess I’ll need to be nice to him tonight, so he doesn’t complain.”_ _

__“Aomine.” Kuroko’s voice was a warning, but Aomine just shrugged._ _

__“C’mon, Tetsu. You know what he’s like. The rest of us need quiet to recharge, and he’s the opposite. So tonight-“_ _

__“Five weeks.”_ _

__Eyes narrowing at Kagami, Aomine gestured for him to keep talking. Ripping the note off the fridge, Kagami walked back to the table._ _

__“’Good morning my sleepy heads! I hope you feel much better today! I’m sorry I wasn’t able to say goodbye last night, but Sato-san called me unexpectedly and my work trip got long. Five weeks! I will miss you every day! I’m not sure what the phone reception is like, but I will call if I can. Work hard and see you soon xoxoxoxox Ryouta.”_ _

__“Did you really need to say kiss-hug-kiss-hu- _ow_ , Testsu!”_ _

__Kuroko ignored the complaint, instead glaring at him. “You seem to be missing the most important thing, Aomine – Kise isn’t coming back for _five weeks_.”_ _

__“Well that can’t be right.” Aomine snatched the note out of Kagami’s hand and read it. “He doesn’t even say where he’s going. What the hell? Where exactly is this shoot?”_ _

__The other two looked blankly at each other, before Kagami shook his head._ _

__“I have no idea. To be honest, I forgot he had work today. I… uh… tune out a little bit when he starts talking about work.”_ _

__Kuroko thinned his lips. “Let’s hope Kise has reception wherever he is going. While I feel very strongly he should have said something, I also know that I haven’t been very open to conversation. The three of us had more of a conversation this morning that I’ve had with Kise in weeks. And I feel terrible about that.”_ _

__Neither Kagami nor Aomine could disagree._ _

__“I’ve been pretty much the same. It’s not totally my fault – this latest round of training is killing me, but I should make more time for Kise.”_ _

__“You don’t think he’s leaving us, do you?” Aomine’s eyebrows drew down in a giant frown. Reaching up, Kuroko rubbed the lines._ _

__“His note says he’ll see us in five weeks. And Kise… Kise isn’t like that. He would say something. Well,” and Kuroko suddenly looked distraught, “I’m sure he would try to say something. I… I called him selfish last night. Just because he wanted to have dinner with all of us.”_ _

__“And I had a go at him for not cooking. Damn. Didn’t even occur to me that something work related might have happened. Which is obviously did. Which he even told me!” Aomine said, flicking the paper._ _

__Sighing, Kagami went back to the fridge and got the milk. “We have a lot of making up to do, when Kise gets home.”_ _

__Time always went slowly when Kise was away, but they knew this trip would go even slower._ _

__~o~_ _

__“Just remember you can’t say anything about your partners.”_ _

__The shoot was almost done, and Kise was ready to walk away._ _

__He missed his boyfriends. He missed being able to use his phone. He missed the café down the road. He missed early morning cuddles and afternoon cuddles and evening cuddles. He hated not knowing how things were going for anyone!_ _

__On top of that, he just wanted to go home. He hated beach shoots - all sun and sand and wind. It was the worst, and Kise would have walked away in a second, except they were stuck on this (admittedly beautiful) island, and Kise had no transport, and no reception. Sato had micromanaged and harassed him on a daily basis, reminding him constantly to not talk about his personal life. As far as Kise could tell, only he had been told not to talk about his life. At least six other models who had all talked about their partner. That they were all different sex partners was no coincidence._ _

__And Kise finally reached his limit._ _

__“Is your problem that I am in a relationship with other men? Because that should be irrelevant!”_ _

__Sato gaped at him for a moment. “Are you calling me homophobic?”_ _

__“If the shoe fits,” Kise responded snarkily. “You keep telling me not to talk about my boyfriends, yet every other person I have spoken to here talks endlessly about their partner. They miss them, so of course they want to talk about them. Well, same goes for me! I miss Kagamicchi, and Kurokocchi, and Aominecchi! I miss them and you constantly telling me I can’t talk about them makes this miserable situation worse!”_ _

__“Having multiple partners is disgusting.”_ _

__Rolling his eyes, Kise stood up. “Well luckily, you only have two more days with disgusting me who’s disgustingly in love, with his disgusting male partners.”_ _

__And Kise stormed off. Maybe he wouldn’t have to quit. Maybe all the agencies who saw his completely unprofessional spat, would blacklist him, and to be perfectly honest, right now? Kise was 100% okay with that._ _

__~o~_ _

__“Okay that’s great, Kise, now just one more change, and we’ll call this done.”_ _

__The final shoot was with Goshiki. It was Kise's first time working with this well known photographer, but he didn't warm to him. Kise was used to being looked at, but Goshiki's eyes were just a little too intimate. The day was filled with take after endless take, and now was 10pm, and everyone else had left. Somehow, Kise was the one stuck working a 15 hour day. Why? Why was that even fair? Kise just wanted to go back to his room, and fall face first into his bed and not talk to anyone. He couldn’t help chuckling at the thought – this must be how his boyfriends felt all the time. He made another mental note to be quieter at home._ _

__Home. He really wanted to be home. Sighing, Kise went back to wardrobe. Only to be met with the last outfit. If you could even call it that._ _

__“What the hell is this?”_ _

__The poor wardrobe hand was shaking. “It’s your last outfit, Kise-san.”_ _

__Walking over, Kise picked up the thing between one finger and his thumb. “This is not an outfit. This is-“_ _

__“I’m sorry, Kise-san, I’ll go, I’ll leave you to discuss that with Goshiki-san.”_ _

__She dashed out the door, and Kise spun around, only to be run straight into Goshiki. Who pushed him back against the table. Kise winced as his hip smashed against it. That was probably going to bruise._ _

__“Goshiki-san? I haven’t agreed to wear this… outfit… yet, and if I do, I can’t have bruises-“_ _

__Kise’s were cut off as Goshiki’s mouth met his. Stunned for a moment, Kise did nothing, before pushing the photographer as hard as he could. He didn’t move far though. Goshiki was broader and heavier than Kise._ _

__“What’s the problem? Your manager already told me what a slut you were. It’s the last night we can have a-“_ _

__Kise aimed for the solar plexus, and hit. As Goshiki fought for breath, Kise slipped away._ _

__“I’m a fucking professional, unlike what appears to be most of the staff here! What happens in my private life is _private_ and I will thank you not to _ahhh_!’’ _ _

__Intent on ranting, Kise had missed Goshiki lunging for him. Strong hands gripped at his shoulders, and he was thrown back against the table. It hurt and it was going to bruise like a bastard._ _

__“Now, now, models like you are nothing. If you want to keep working, you’ll have to play nice.”_ _

__The man’s face loomed above his, but before he could get any closer, Kise managed to get a knee in into Goshki’s crotch. It floored him, the photographer gasping and whining on the floor, as his hands cupped his dick and balls._ _

__“I don’t have to play nice, Goshiki. I don’t have to play at all. I’m reporting this, and then we’ll see what happens.”_ _

__Storming out, Kise ran smack bang into Satori, one of the other models. His eyes were wide as he took in Kise, and then looked behind him to Goshiki, still writhing on the floor._ _

__“We’ll go via your room. Get your stuff, and you’re staying with me tonight.”_ _

__Scrubbing at his face, Kise went to argue, but Satori just put a hand lightly on his waist and propelled him forward._ _

__“Sorry, Kise. I’m not taking no for answer. My girlfriend would kill me if I didn’t look after someone who had been assaulted.”_ _

__Once again, Kise went to argue but Satori just ignored it. Ultimately, it was easier to pack up his stuff and follow Satori than to stay in his room. Truth be told, he didn’t really want to be alone._ _

__“I wish I had phone reception,” he told Satori when he was in pyjamas and curled up on the spare bed._ _

__“What would you do?”_ _

__Kise though. “I’d probably call Kurokochhi. He’s very calm.”_ _

__“What about your other boyfriends?”_ _

__Kise paused, and looked at Satori. Who was just looked… interested. Not judgemental. For the first time in over a week, Kise relaxed and talked about his boyfriends._ _

__“Well, Aominechhi is almost a police officer, so he wouldn’t be the best person to talk too. He'd get angry straight away and want to find the perp! And Kagamichi… well, Aominecchi and Kagamicchi are both quick to fly off the rails! They would want to protect my honour, so Kurokocchi would definitely be the best person to call.”_ _

__Without warning, Kise burst into tears. Satori moved to the bed, and put a friendly arm around Kise’s shoulder. It didn’t feel weird though. It felt kind._ _

__“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”_ _

__“You have nothing to feel sorry for,” he was very firmly told. “I overheard your manager-“_ _

__“Ex-manager.”_ _

__“Good.” Satori smiled. “Ex-manager saying some pretty off things to Goshiki, and I had to come and check. I’m glad I did, even though you can obviously look after yourself.”_ _

__Kise puffed up at that._ _

__“But you’re still going to have quite a lot of explaining to do. Your, uh, face.”_ _

__For the first time, Kise looked in the mirror and was horrified to see bruises forming at his chin. They were very obviously fingers. Slumping against Satori, Kise whined._ _

__“I don’t want to deal with this. I don’t want to!”_ _

__Satori just patted his shoulder. “Get some sleep now. We have an early flight. I’ll back you up, whatever you want to do tomorrow.”_ _

__~o~_ _

__When they arrived in Tokyo, the first thing, the only thing, Kise wanted to do was to go home._ _

__But._ _

__“I have to quit first,” he told Satori quietly. “I can’t work with them anymore. Not after that.”_ _

__“You want me to come with?”_ _

__Kise thoughtfully chewed his lip. “Do you mind? I don’t want you to have to be involved, but I also really don’t want to be there by myself.”_ _

__Satori smiled. “Let’s go.”_ _

__~o~_ _

__It only took an hour, but at the end Kise was free from his contract. He also had no black mark against his name, and ended up with quite the payout. He also reported Goshiki and Sato, and it seemed his agency was talking it seriously. Although Kise was pretty sure he didn’t want to model again, he would take that as a win._ _

__“Satori-chan thank you thank you! Thank you!” Kise’s thanks were heartfelt. “I’m going to go home and sleep for a week, but maybe we could catch up for coffee sometime.”_ _

__Smiling, Satori waved him off. “I’d like that, Kise.”_ _

__~o~_ _

__Jumping in a taxi, Kise sent a text to group chat._ _

_I’m baccccck! (≧∀≦)(≧∀≦)(≧∀≦) I’ll be home in half an hour! Things got a bit rough, but don’t worry I’m okay! I missed youuuuuuuuu ღゝ◡╹)ノ♡ღゝ◡╹)ノ♡ღゝ◡╹)ノ♡ can’t wait to see you!_

Leaning back against the leather, Kise heaved a sigh of relief. He couldn’t wait to be home! 

~o~ 

When his phone buzzed, Kuroko quickly checked it. His heart leapt seeing it was from Kise. It had indeed been a long five weeks. And quite an enlightening one. Without Kise there, they barely spoke to each other. Without Kise there, the house seemed a little darker. Most nights, Kuroko would wrap himself around one his boyfriends, and even though he loved them being there, the bed felt a little empty without Kise. 

Yes, some of it was guilt, but more of it was just missing the sunshine Kise brought to their every day. 

And now, he was only 15 minutes away. Unfortunately both Aomine and Kagami were working late. Well, maybe it wasn’t a bad thing though. Kuroko could get some one on one time. Hopefully Kise wasn’t too tired for a talk and a snuggle on the couch. 

All thoughts of snuggling flew out of his mind as soon as he saw Kise. 

“Kise! What happened to your face?” 

“Ahhhh. I’m sorry, Kurokocchi! I meant to cover it up but I forgot-“ 

“Cover it up? Kise, no! That’s not… what happened?” 

Shrugging expansively, Kise waltzed in. “You know how these things go.” 

Kuroko knew no such thing, but Kise dropped his bags, and raising his arms high, spun in a circle. 

“Tetsucchi! I’m so happy to be home! That was a long time away. Did… did you miss me?” 

And Kuroko’s heart broke at the uncertainty in Kise’s tone. Immediately he grabbed him around the waist, ignoring his gasp, pulled him tight. 

“Only every day and every night.” 

Slowly, Kise’s arms dropped, and wrapped around Kuroko’s shoulders. “I missed you too.” 

~o~ 

Honestly, Kise was actually glad that Aomine and Kagami weren’t home. Not that Kuroko was not observant. It didn’t take him long to figure out Kise was injured and had him stripped in no time. 

“Kurokocchi this is embarrassing!” 

“You’re often naked in front me. What’s different about this?” 

Pouting, Kise crossed his arms over his chest – the chosen dramatic pose of hands on hips out of the question. The bruises from the night before had valiantly bloomed, and now covered his whole side. They really did hurt. 

“This isn’t sexy naked time. This is, weird, observational naked time. And I need to get dressed, if the first thing Kagamicchi or Aominecchi see are these bruises they’ll-“ 

“How the fuck did that happen?” 

Closing his eyes, Kise prayed to the gods. 

“Just one moment, my loves! I just need to-“ 

It was too late. Aomine was on him and ever so gently turning him around. Fingers that were barely there traced along his jaw, and his eyes tightened as he took in the extent of the bruising across Kise’s side. He didn’t fail to notice the paler bruises on Kise’s wrists. 

“Kise-“ 

“Ne, Aominecchi. You should see the other guy!” 

“Oh, and what happened to him?” 

Cocking his head, Kise thought. “Well, I’m actually not sure. I left him writhing on the floor, and then I put in a complaint when I quit this afternoon.” 

Silence reigned. <

“You… quit?” Kagami, who had come up behind him, whispered in his ear. 

Laughing uncomfortably, Kise broke out of their holds, and grabbed his sweats from the couch. Pulling them on, and then a t-shirt, he felt much better. Safer. 

“Yeah. Turns out my manager is a homophobic bastard, who thinks I’m a dirty slut. The photographer agreed so-“ Kise lightly shrugged a shoulder, ignoring the angry expressions around him. “But I’ve dealt with it. I made a complaint, and I quit, and I’m not going to look for a new job for at least six weeks. So that means when it’s my turn to make dinner I won’t-“ 

Kagami shut him up with a hard kiss. “Kise. Shut up. We’re sorry. We’re sorry we didn’t listen before you left. We’re sorry we gave you a hard time. We’re sorry we haven’t been spending time with you.” 

Kise blinked back tears. “No, no, it’s fine, Kagamicchi! I don’t have an important job like-“ 

He was once again cut off, this time by Aomine’s swearing. 

“Kise, no! We’re in the wrong. You shouldn’t feel like what you do isn’t important. It’s work, and you and what you do is important. I was an asshole before you left, and I’m sorry. I can’t say it won’t happen again, but hopefully it’ll happen less. You… I love you. I’m interested in you. In your life and I want to know what is going on. And seriously? If you ever leave for five weeks again and don’t tell us? I’m going to kill you myself.” 

Playing it off as a joke, Kise laughed lightly. But it ended on a sob. 

Kuroko wrapped his arms around them all, joining the group cuddle. “What they said, Kise-kun. We missed you so very much.” 

Kise was crying for real now. Loud, messy crying. Kagami gently kissed his tears away, Kuroko bored into his side, and Aomine whispered sweet love in his ear. When his tears had finally run out, he was on the couch, his lovers wrapped around him. For the first time in what felt like a very long time, Kise was home. 

**Author's Note:**

> it's NaNoWriMo. And I am challenging myself to write 50,000 words of fanfic this month.  
> I'll try and finish a few of my WIPs and write a few new ones. This is unbeta'd. 
> 
> Please enjoy and appreciate my efforts.


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